Understanding Social

Problems
Social Problem
• any condition or behavior that has
negative consequences for large numbers
of people and that is generally recognized
as a condition or behavior that needs to
be addressed.
• have objective and subjective component
Objective component

• For any condition or behavior to be considered a

social problem, it must have negative
consequences for large numbers of people.
• How do we know if a social problem has negative
consequences?
• a body of data accumulation—from work by
academic researchers, government agencies, and
other sources—that strongly points to extensive
and serious consequences. 
• A current example is climate change: Although the overwhelming
majority of climate scientists say that climate change (changes in
the earth’s climate due to the buildup of greenhouse gases in the
atmosphere) is real and serious, fewer than two-thirds of
Americans (64 percent) in a 2011 poll said they “think that global
warming is happening” (Leiserowitz, Maibach, Roser-Renouf, &
Smith, 2011).Leiserowitz, A., Maibach, E., Roser-Renouf, C., &
Smith, N. (2011). Climate change in the American mind:
Americans’ global warming beliefs and attitudes in May 2011. New
Haven, CT: Yale Project on Climate Change Communication.
Subjective component

• There must be a perception that a condition or

behavior needs to be addressed for it to be
considered a social problem. This component lies
at the heart of the social constructionist view of
social problems (Rubington & Weinberg,
2010).Rubington, E., & Weinberg, M. S.
(2010). The study of social problems: Seven
perspectives (7th ed.). New York, NY: Oxford
University Press.
• In this view, many types of negative conditions
and behaviors exist. Many of these are considered
sufficiently negative to acquire the status of a
social problem; some do not receive this
consideration and thus do not become a social
problem; and some become considered a social
problem only if citizens, policymakers, or other
parties call attention to the condition or
behavior.
• although sexual violence existed, it was not considered a social problem
• many people thought that rape and sexual assault were just something
that happened
• When the contemporary women’s movement began in the late 1970s, it
soon focused on rape and sexual assault as serious crimes and as
manifestations of women’s inequality. Thanks to this focus, rape and
sexual assault eventually entered the public consciousness, views of
these crimes began to change, and legal policymakers began to give
them more attention. In short, sexual violence against women became a
social problem.
Other definitions of SOCIAL PROBLEM

• Horton and Leslie: It is often defined as a condition which many

people consider undesirable and wish to correct.
• Lindbergh: "It is any deviant behavior in a disapproved direction of
such a degree that it exceeds the tolerance limit of
the community".
• L.K. Frank: Any difficulty of misbehavior of a fairly large number of
persons which we wish to remove or correct.“
• Fuler & Mayer: "A social problem starts with the awakening of
people in a given locality, with the realization of certain cherished
values that are threatened by the conditions which have become
acute."
When is a social problem a social problem?

• negative conditions and behaviors are not a

social problem unless they are recognized as
such by policymakers, large numbers of lay
citizens, or other segments of our society;
• negative conditions and behaviors should
be considered a social problem even if they
receive little or no attention;
If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there
to hear it, is a sound made? 

• social constructionist view: Perception matters at

least as much as reality, and sometimes more so.
• Social constructionism’s emphasis on perception
has a provocative implication: Just as a condition
or behavior may not be considered a social
problem even if there is strong basis for this
perception, so may a condition or behavior be
considered a social problem even if there is little
or no basis for this perception. 
• In the late 1800s, leading physicians and medical researchers in the
United States wrote journal articles, textbooks, and newspaper columns
in which they warned women not to go to college. The reason? They
feared that the stress of college would disrupt women’s menstrual
cycles, and they also feared that women would not do well in exams
during “that time of the month” (Ehrenreich & English, 2005)!
Ehrenreich, B., & English, D. (2005). For her own good: Two centuries
of the experts’ advice to women (2nd ed.). New York, NY: Anchor
Books. We now know better, of course, but the sexist beliefs of these
writers turned the idea of women going to college into a social problem
and helped to reinforce restrictions by colleges and universities on the
admission of women.
Characteristics of Social Problems

• it changes the situation in such a way that a problem is created to

the extent that existing social order have to be changed.
• it becomes problem only when the people begin to feel and take
that in that sense.
• As long as the people are not aware of the problem, even though
that exists, there is no social disharmony, but maladjustment
comes to the front only when the masses become conscious of it.
The Natural History of a Social Problem

• most social problems go through a natural history consisting of

several stages of their development (Spector & Kitsuse,
2001).Spector, M., & Kitsuse, J. I. (2001). Constructing social
problems. New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction.
Stage 1: Emergence and Claims Making

• A social problem emerges when a social entity (such as a social

change group, the news media, or influential politicians) begins to
call attention to a condition or behavior that it perceives to be
undesirable and in need of remedy. As part of this process, it tries
to influence public perceptions of the problem, the reasons for it,
and possible solutions to it. Because the social entity is making
claims about all these matters, this aspect of Stage 1 is termed
the claims-making process.
Stage 2: Legitimacy

• Once a social group succeeds in turning a condition or behavior

into a social problem, it usually tries to persuade the government
(local, state, and/or federal) to take some action—spending and
policymaking—to address the problem. As part of this effort, it
tries to convince the government that its claims about the
problem are legitimate—that they make sense and are supported
by empirical (research-based) evidence. To the extent that the
group succeeds in convincing the government of the legitimacy of
its claims, government action is that much more likely to occur.
Stage 3: Renewed Claims Making

• Even if government action does occur, social change groups often

conclude that the action is too limited in goals or scope to be able
to successfully address the social problem. If they reach this
conclusion, they often decide to press their demands anew. They
do so by reasserting their claims and by criticizing the official
response they have received from the government or other
established interests, such as big businesses. This stage may
involve a fair amount of tension between the social change groups
and these targets of their claims.
Stage 4: Development of Alternative Strategies

• Despite the renewed claims making, social change groups often

conclude that the government and established interests are not
responding adequately to their claims. Although the groups may
continue to press their claims, they nonetheless realize that these
claims may fail to win an adequate response from established
interests. This realization leads them to develop their own
strategies for addressing the social problem.
KEY TAKEAWAYS

• The definition of a social problem has both an objective component and a

subjective component. The objective component involves empirical
evidence of the negative consequences of a social condition or behavior,
while the subjective component involves the perception that the condition
or behavior is indeed a problem that needs to be addressed.
• The social constructionist view emphasizes that a condition or behavior does
not become a social problem unless there is a perception that it should be
considered a social problem.
• The natural history of a social problem consists of four stages: emergence
and claims making, legitimacy, renewed claims making, and alternative
strategies.
Share your thoughts

• What do you think is the most important social problem facing our
nation right now? Explain your answer.
• Do you agree with the social constructionist view that a negative
social condition or behavior is not a social problem unless there is
a perception that it should be considered a social problem? Why or
why not?